Towards the end of their year at The Columbus School, as the Thanksgiving season approaches, seniors prepare to celebrate two cherished traditions: the Thanksgiving ceremony with K4 students and their long-awaited trip to Cartagena. These events mark a significant chapter in their senior year, blending reflection and enjoyment.

The Thanksgiving ceremony offers seniors a nostalgic moment to reflect on their journey at TCS while inspiring younger students and the school community. Meanwhile, the Cartagena trip fosters deeper bonds among classmates, serving as one of their final shared experiences before graduation. Together, these traditions embody gratitude, community, and celebration.

“I think it’s nostalgic and a heartwarming moment to be the seniors doing the lap around the coliseum with the K4 students as I feel it’s like seeing how much we’ve grown and how we were once the small children being taken around,” said Sofia Trujillo, a senior at TCS. This connection, growth, and excitement are evident not only in the ceremony but also in the Cartagena trip.

“I’m excited to hang out with my friends, go to Cholon, Islas, and the boat. It’s something we have always dreamed of doing, and all of us have seen seniors going to Cartagena since ninth grade, so it’s really exciting when your time comes,” Laura Carvajal, another senior, expressed. Both events highlight unity and the importance of relationships, whether with younger students at school or among peers on the trip.

“I think it’s a place where we can all forget the different groups and just have fun together, do the same activities, and share a lot of moments,” Carvajal added. Similarly, the Thanksgiving ceremony creates meaningful connections, especially with the youngest members of the TCS community. “I think it sets them to see us as role models as the fact that they look at us as these students that are very happy, grown, and even make them start looking up to us and think, ‘I want to be like them someday,’” Trujillo reflected.

Both the trip and the ceremony allow seniors to cherish their final moments at TCS in meaningful ways. “I think it’s very convenient because we usually celebrate Thanksgiving with family, so it’s fun to spend this holiday with friends and the people we love from school,” Carvajal explained. While each event has its own purpose, they complement one another by celebrating the seniors’ growth and their role in the TCS community.

“And like I said before, it’s nostalgic to see that we have grown so much in the past years. I think it’s very important to see that we have grown together for 14 years and that we are able to change and mature,” Trujillo concluded.